Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on December 24, 2004 at 08:30:44

In Reply to: Exactly posted by Jack G on December 24, 2004 at 08:21:52:

I don't want to bore everyone with technicalities, but here is how it works, to the best of my understanding.

The films get delivered to the movie houses from a distributor on several 20 minutes reels - you all have seen those in their octogonal cans.

At the theater they are all spliced together into one piece, and put on a special carousel type device, so they could be shown in one shot, without changing reels.

When the theater is done with the movie, it is cut again into the 20 minute parts, each one packed in its own can and sent back to the distributor.

Perhaps Chris Garrett will clarify that for us, but this is what I was told by a projectionist who runs the "home theater" system for one well known billionaire whose name you would recognize instantly. That home theater installation (which I visited) included two real 35mm projectors in addition to your obligatory digital video one. So there a person actually does switch between the two projectors - he has a control panel for that near his window.